


Ask Me

by raspbearry



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship/Love, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25983310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raspbearry/pseuds/raspbearry
Summary: Natsume has come to the last name in the Book of Friends and the inevitable end to a promise...
Comments: 8
Kudos: 92
Collections: Natsume Yuujinchou Bang Summer 2k20





	Ask Me

**Author's Note:**

> Art is by Snails! Thank you so much for the wonderful art!!  
> https://twitter.com/snailtrain  
> https://www.instagram.com/snailtrain/  
> https://snailtrain.tumblr.com/

Natsume was not a boy who could ask for things. Most of the time, it never even occurred to him to ask. He didn’t even think about it. To ask, you had to earn that right. 

He had not earned that right with the Fujiwaras.

And yet he asked them anyway.

“Can… can I keep this cat?”

Natsume was not a boy who could ask for things, but he asked for Nyanko-sensei. 

It didn’t mean anything.

After all… Nyanko-sensei was just a youkai.

Natsume stared down at the last name. It had all gone so much faster than he thought it would. Reiko’s lifetime... was in such a small book. Now, after only a few years, it was at its last page. It’s last name. 

He flipped the book open and stared at the scribble. He didn’t know why his hands shook or his heart throbbed. Was it because this was his last connection to Reiko? Her last few memories that Natsume would get to see? The last name… it meant things would change. The Book of Friends would come to an end. No more youkai chasing him down for it, no more worrying about exorcists finding out about it, no more…

Nyanko-sensei hopped onto Natsume’s shoulder, pitching him forward under the weight of the pudgy cat. 

“One last name, eh?” Nyanko-sensei remarked as he settled himself onto Natsume’s shoulder. “Sure you don’t want to hand the book over now? Give me at least _something_ to mess around with.”

“No.” He said that too quickly and bit his lip. If he gave it now then… “You’ve had way too much time to think of a weird thing to do with it.”

“You’re just no fun,” Nyanko-sensei said as he leaned into Natsume’s face. It was an old argument. One they had had since the beginning. One Natsume wasn’t ready to give up yet. Not… quite yet.

They sat there on the porch together, wind brushing over the two of them. It was warm and peaceful but Natsume could feel the edge of the cliff getting nearer and nearer.

It took Natsume a week before he could admit it to himself. He was afraid of finishing the Book of Friends. Terrified. Yes, there was losing Reiko but… he was going to lose Nyanko-sensei too. He couldn’t… every time he thought of it his heart ached. Their promise was only to stay together until the book was gone and after that… after that… 

Natsume clutched the book to his chest as his eyes trailed around his dark room. Nyanko-sensei wasn’t there. His breath hitched, but he forced himself to calm down. Nyanko-sensei was just out drinking, he’d come stumbling back in… for now at least. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the tears to stay. He wasn’t ready for it to end. He wasn’t ready… to lose his first friend. The person he had relied on the most. The person that had finally opened up his world for him. 

Slowly he tried to breathe easier and relax, still clutching the Book of Friends. Just because it was the last name didn’t mean their time was over yet. Maybe it would take another few years to find the last youkai. Maybe they never would find them. Maybe… Nyanko-sensei would never have to leave.

He held those maybe’s and repeated them over and over until sleep finally overcame him.

The maybe’s only lasted another month. It was whispered among the youkai until it made it to Natsume’s ears:

_The last name in the Book of Friends is coming for you._

Natsume didn’t have years, he didn’t have forever, he had less than a week.

“Natsume, is something wrong?”

He lifted up his head from his desk and looked at Tanuma.

“Yes, I mean, no, no, it’s nothing, I’m fine,” Natsume stumbled through, and Tanuma’s eyes just looked down at him sadly.

“Okay, that’s all right,” Tanuma said as he lightly patted Natsume’s shoulder and left. Natsume inwardly cringed. He hadn’t lied to Tanuma like this in ages and he felt the guilt twist in his gut. Tanuma saw right through him, of course he did, but he couldn’t say it outloud. It was already too real.

School was a blur, home was a blur. He could see the worried faces, following as he passed from one room to another, but he spoke of it to no one. He desperately worried and tried to come up with a plan, to come up with _something_. Days slipped by, no matter how much he tried to grip them, to hold them tight, they disappeared, water running through open hands. Until it was the last day.

And Natsume was desperate.

The sky was darkening too early. Natsume watched the black clouds roll in and his feet teetered over the cliff that rushed towards him. He stepped forward, but instead of air his feet landed on solid ground, taking him away from the Fujiwara house and towards the woods.

“Natsumeeee!” 

He turned back and looked up at Nyanko-sensei in an open window.

“I’m off! I’ll be back later!” Natsume called back to him.

“Are you going somewhere fun? Maybe I’ll come along,” Nyanko-sensei said as he stretched on the sill, but Natsume quickly waved him back.

“No! Uh, no, it’s going to be really boring,” Natsume started, cursing at himself for sounding so obvious. He had to come up with a better lie. “I just have some homework to do with Tanuma, but I promise I’ll bring you back something tasty if you watch over the house!” There, that sounded better. Nyanko-sensei settled back onto the sill and yawned.

“It better be something _extremely_ tasty!”

Natsume just waved and started walking again. Nyanko-sensei’s eyes narrowed as he watched the disappearing back that only held a small pack and no school bag. 

Natsume took the familiar paths through the forest, greeting the youkai as he passed. They pointed him toward the other youkai, the last name. Their eyes shifted and their hands shook as they showed Natsume the way, but he didn’t pay them any mind. He could only think of one thing. He could only think of this plan. As he ducked under some branches he couldn’t help but think how utterly stupid this plan was. The basics of which were: take care of the last name now without Nyanko-sensei and pretend that there was still a name left. He didn’t know how long he could keep it up, but right now it didn’t matter. He needed one more day, or maybe one more week, or one more anything.

Natsume walked on.

The forest grew less and less familiar, darkening with each step. The daylight was dim, but it was enough for Natsume to see with. He hoped he was getting close. Was it getting dark or was there going to be a storm? If it rained it would complete his dirty look that he was wearing. He tried to brush off the dirt from his knees from the couple of slips he had, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to get it past Touko-san. A smile quirked his lips as he thought of returning. He’d have to stop by the store and get a ton of snacks for Nyanko-sensei, that would distract him enough from Natsume’s dirty, and possibly wet, clothes. Probably he wouldn’t even bat an eye, Nyanko-sensei was used to him getting into messes. He’d probably think Natsume was just out helping some kappa get across the road to the river. Natsume felt something like hope bubble up in his chest. Maybe this would all work out. Until Natsume came up with a better solution, but… they wouldn’t have to say goodbye today. Everything would be okay for today.

Natsume lifted up his head to look down the path and saw the little bit of light disappear completely, as if a switch had turned off the last of the sun. He froze, listening in the sudden darkness. Was it the youkai that was looking for him? Of course it would be a troublesome one. Natsume vaguely recalled the nervousness the other youkai had and tried not to curse out loud. He couldn’t help thinking about how stupid this whole idea was _again_ as he carefully reached for the Book of Friends. Natsume would just have to release the name as soon as the youkai came into view. He could still finish this up quickly, go back and get Nyanko-sensei mountains of snacks, and… and…

He shook his head and opened the book.

Wind, a shape, darkness, burst past him. He tried to hold tight to the Book of Friends but his fingers were falling away and the pain hit.

Natsume breathed out sharply in shock as he felt the blood slipping down his arm. The darkness lifted as Natsume looked unbelievingly at his empty hands and the deep slash across his left wrist and up his arm. He desperately clutched at it, trying to stop by the bleeding just by holding his hand over it, when he heard laughing from above.

“Natsume Reiko…” 

The name slithered out of the youkai’s mouth as Natsume’s head jerked up to look at it. The youkai, he had to assume it was _the_ youkai, was a mass of darkness in the vague form of a gigantic bird-like figure dangling directly above him on a large branch. Feathers jutted out at odd angles, but there was the distinct shape of two wings. The beak was massive and dripped blood, Natsume’s blood, along with some dark inky substance that covered the entire thing. It’s eyes were covered with a broken mask that was held into place with a dirty bandage. A mixture of Natsume’s blood and the black substance dripped off the youkai’s beak and onto his forehead, jolting him out of his trance as he tried to scrabble backwards and get it off of him. It smeared together and across his face as the youkai laughed again.

“Natsume Reiko…” it began again as it heavily dropped from the branch to the ground where Natsume had just been standing. “It’s been… so long… your blood tastes just the same.”

“No, no, I’m-- I’m not Reiko,” Natsume started, taking another step back as he repeated the phrase he’d said hundreds of times, “I’m her grandson, Natsume Takashi, I--”

The youkai leapt, feathers swirling as claws circled around Natsume’s throat and thrust him to the ground. Natsume choked as the youkai pressed up against him, it’s heavy weight suffocating. 

“No more tricks, Reiko. How many times have you tricked this old bird? Do you feel no remorse?” the youkai said, it’s claws digging into Natsume’s neck. He tried to thrash, get his legs moving, push it away, do _something_ , but the youkai just kept talking. “I’m sick and tired of waiting for you. We will finally end this together today.”

That horrible black beak leaned in and Natsume finally moved, kicking with all his strength, freeing himself from the youkai’s grasp, but not without feeling it’s claws rake again his throat and jaw.

The youkai tumbled back, feathers flying and black ink dragging across the ground as Natsume staggered to his feet. He looked over, about to tell this youkai again that he wasn’t Reiko, but his voice couldn’t get past his throat as the youkai grew bigger, a slouching mess that reached out, looking for Reiko’s blood.

Natsume turned and fled.

Natsume crashed to the ground, breathing hard as he surveyed the deep thicket he’d just jumped into. It seemed like a good hiding place, at least for now. He pushed at some branches to give himself more room as he struggled to get somewhat comfortable. He pulled his shirt off, wincing as the movement strained his arm. Quickly, without looking at the wound too much, he wrapped his shirt around it, knotting it as best he could with one hand so it hopefully wouldn’t fall off. He let his head fall forward as he clutched his throbbing arm to his chest. 

This was bad.

The Book of Friends was gone, the only thing that Natsume could use to stop this youkai. And now, Natsume was bleeding and hiding out in a bush.

It had been a long time since he had been in some _real_ trouble. Natsume and Nyanko-sensei had gotten so good at taking on youkai together, he had forgotten what it felt like to face them alone. He had to decide what to do _fast_. If he ran, could he make it back home and get Nyanko-sensei’s help? He shivered as he pulled his arm closer. His whole plan had fallen to pieces. His stupid plan with no back up, with no next part. A bandaid on an aching heart.

Natsume shook his head. He would have to go back for Nyanko-sensei. He couldn’t keep running forever and he didn’t want to die. They would have to do this together, like they always had. He would have to let the promise come to an end.

Carefully, he pushed his way out of the thicket, thorns scratching down his bare back. He tightened his shirt over his arm, trying to ignore how the pink fabric was slowly turning to red.

This continued to be maybe the worst day of Natsume’s life. He was sure there were probably worse ones, but nothing was coming to mind at this moment. 

It felt like he had been running for hours or only minutes. His arm was heavy, he hardly seemed to be able to see straight.

And he was completely lost.

_Lost, lost, lost,_ echoed through his head as he half-ran half-jogged through the darkening woods. He had lived in one place for so long he had almost forgotten being lost. It choked him, threatening to make him sit down and cry like the little kid he felt he was. How many times had he been lost in his life? The feeling should be so familiar and yet, right now, he could hardly bear it. Belonging… family… love… being lost broke him faster now than it used to. Natsume tried to push on quicker, tried to leave the horrible feeling behind him, but his feet stumbled to a halt instead. He dragged in a breath as darkness overtook him--

\--Natsume Reiko stood at the top of a hill, looking down onto a small town. Beside her was a youkai looking up at the sky. The youkai stood shorter than Reiko, with long black hair that disappeared into the black and white wings that sprung from her back. She wore a school uniform, mimicking Reiko’s, and her mask was tilted up just enough to reveal half her face. Her bare feet dug into the dirt. She had a distinct wild look, even beside Reiko. Reiko had always been wild, but this youkai was forest-wild, no matter how much the school uniform tried to say otherwise. The tangled leaves in her hair, the dirt on her legs, the threads trailing from her shirt and skirt. They couldn’t have looked more opposite while desperately trying to look the same.

“Reiko,” she said, looking down from the sky to face Reiko, “You should just leave them. It could be just the two of us, you know? We could do whatever we wanted.”

The silence stretched out between the two of them. The youkai shifted from foot to foot, waiting for the answer. Reiko didn’t look away from the town as she smiled and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, I can’t today,” she answered simply. The youkai shook her wings angrily. 

“That means, you can do it tomorrow, right?” the youkai said, pouting. Reiko laughed and ran her hand through the other’s black hair, getting her hand stuck in a knot.

“Yes, okay, tomorrow, we’ll go anywhere you like,” Reiko said as she untangled her hand and took the youkai’s hand in hers. The youkai had a satisfied smile on her face as she leaned onto Reiko’s shoulder--

\--Natsume Takashi broke free of the memory, gasping for air as if he’d been drowning. His eyes snapped open to see…

...treetops flying past far below.

Panic seized him as he tried to twist away and discovered the youkai had her talons securely wrapped around his torso, his arms pinned back. He gave a pained cry as the youkai tightened her grip.

“Oh, awake now, Natsume Reiko? Are you ready to finally die together?” the youkai said, beak clicking horribly as she spoke.

“Please! I’m not Reiko! She’s already--” Natsume yelled, but was cut off as the youkai gave a great sweep of her wings and sent them even higher.

“I thought about it for a long while, Natsume Reiko. You gave me so, so long to think about it,” the youkai whispered, the beak somehow beside Natsume’s ear, black spit trailing down the side of his face. Natsume tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to go. The ground was receding right before his eyes. Even if he broke free of the youkai’s grasp, what then? He would plummet to the ground. He would die.

The youkai laughed as if listening to Natsume’s thoughts, “Oh, yes. I finally decided how we would die. I would take us as high in the sky as I could go and we will fall.” The head was now pointed high up into the sky, ink, blood, black, falling away in ribbons, and endless supply raining from her eyes. 

“You’ve got to stop! Reiko is already dead!” Natsume choked out, it was so hard to breathe, but the youkai didn’t even falter.

“We’re finally in tomorrow! Right here at this setting sun!” the youkai cried out. Natsume got a glimpse of the sun, orange and pink splashed across the sky, before they began their fall.

It was worse than going up. It was worse because he knew at the end he would be dead. The youkai let her talons fall away from Natsume’s waist, making his stomach lurch even worse as any last safety slipped away. She did not let go of Natsume completely though. Her beak latched onto Natsume’s already bleeding arm. He screamed as the bone cracked under it and the mask finally fell away to reveal the bird’s dark brown eyes. They looked so much like Reiko’s.

He was really going to die right now. Everything… everything was over. He wouldn’t get to sit down for a meal with the Fujiwaras again, he wouldn’t go back to school with Tanuma and Taki, or get into some sort of weird situation with Natori. And he wouldn’t… all of this had been… if he’d only _talked_ , if he’d only _asked_ …

Natsume squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, against the quickly approaching trees, against every regret and yelled as loudly as he could, “NYANKO-SENSEI!” 

“Took you long enough to call!”

Natsume’s eyes snapped back open as a streak of white spiraled towards the falling pair. His descent was yanked sideways as careful paws held him. Nyanko-sensei’s large teeth snapped down on the youkai, ripping it off of Natsume’s arm, dragging another scream from his mouth. The youkai tumbled away before catching herself in the air, screeching in frustration. Nyanko-sensei sped off, diving into the cover of the trees, his arms pressing Natsume into his fur and away from the swinging branches. 

When Natsume’s feet touched the ground he almost collapsed. Nyanko-sensei thrust his head forward, letting Natsume lean against him. 

“What happened?” Nyanko-sensei’s deep voice rumbled through Natsume’s body. He clutched at the white fur, marred with his blood and the youkai’s black ooze.

“Nyanko-sensei…” Natsume sobbed, letting his head fall onto Nyanko-sensei’s, tears mixing into the white fur now. A sigh blew through his large nose as he pushed closer. 

A loud crack and a sweep of wind and the youkai practically fell through the trees to land in front of them. Nyanko-sensei showed his teeth and snarled as the youkai drew it’s hulking form up.

“You will _not_ get in the way. She is _mine!_ ” the youkai screamed as she dove forward. Nyanko-sensei met her halfway, a clash of white and black. Natsume rocked backwards, trying to keep his balance. 

“Natsume! Where’s the book?” Nyanko-sensei called out as he tried to pin the youkai to the ground. The youkai seemed to dissolve and disperse, black ooze trying to slither towards Natsume before Nyanko-sensei swiped it away, and the liquid fell back into a solid form.

“T-the youkai has it!” Natsume yelled back as the youkai slipped away and disappeared into the darkening trees. Nyanko-sensei backed up towards Natsume as they both looked, trying to find where she went.

“I’ll grab them, but I’ll need your help,” Nyanko-sensei said quietly, his large eye fixed on Natsume. He smiled. Even with a youkai that wasn’t going to stop trying to kill him, even with his arm dangling uselessly at his side, he smiled.

The youkai dropped from above, it’s claw raking through Natsume’s hair before Nyanko-sensei shoved it against a tree. Natsume winced at the stinging on his head as he stumbled forward.

“Hurry!” Nyanko-sensei growled before he sunk his teeth into the youkai’s shoulder. She screamed, trying to writhe away, but at least, for this moment, she was trapped. Natsume leapt forward and plunged his one hand into the mass. 

It was like mud sliding down his arm and the emotions crashed over him. Hate, hate, hate, hate, Natsume reached farther, his entire arm into the black ooze that was this youkai. It struggled, pushing against Natsume’s face, trying to _GET HIM OUT!_ He couldn’t stop now, not with Nyanko-sensei here taking the brunt of it. Natsume reached past the hate and the hurt and the screams until his fingers brushed against… love... and the Book of Friends.

He pulled back, his arm dripping, but the Book of Friends was in his hand.

“Now!” Nyanko-sensei yelled as the youkai finally squirmed out of his grip, flying towards Natsume.

He ripped the name out, blood staining the thin paper as he put it to his lips and blew and…

There she was, Natsume Reiko. For the last time.

Images passed one after another, revealing what Natsume had guessed at. Reiko and this youkai-- Kasasagi, her name was Kasasagi-- walking together, playing together, laughing together. This was the most time he had ever seen Reiko with another youkai. They had spent the whole summer together. 

Reiko laughed as she pointed to some magpies that flew overhead.

“They’re good luck, aren’t they? So, does that mean you're my good luck charm?” Reiko joked as she nudged Kasasagi. She just blushed and looked at the clear sky.

Days and days flew past.

They jumped into a river, gasping in the cold plunge.

Kasasagi snickered as Reiko beat another youkai in a contest.

Reiko fed Kasasagi her lunch, holding the chopsticks above her head as she opened her mouth.

Kasasagi watched Reiko through the classroom window, making faces as Reiko smiled.

They stood in the dark at a festival and kissed.

After that Kasasagi spent every night with Reiko.

It continued until they were back on that hill and Kasasagi asked Reiko to leave with her. Reiko just smiled and said “tomorrow.”

The next day she was gone. 

Kasasagi searched and searched, farther and farther. Endless nights and days, even longer than the summer, maybe years this time. Until finally, finally, finally, the scent, she was here, she had finally found her. 

Reiko looking at her, Reiko’s same smile in that different face, Reiko shaking her head as she took the arm of the person next to her. 

Kasasagi screamed, feeling her hate burst forward as a black beak tasting Reiko’s blood and then...

Nothing…

Nothing…

Nothing…

Tomorrow had been a lie the whole time.

“Kasasagi,” Natsume whispered the name as the feathers and black streamed off the youkai, revealing the form he had seen in the memories. The bird youkai, kneeling in the black puddle, school uniform torn and dirty, hair long, dark and knotted, blood smeared on her mouth as she cried. Faintly, she shimmered as she looked up at Natsume. 

“I just wanted to love her,” she said, her voice breaking, “I wanted her to love me.”

Natsume crouched down beside her, putting a hand over hers.

“Of all the youkai whose name’s are in this book,” Natsume said, giving her a small smile, “I’m sure that yours was the most loved.”

Kasasagi laughed, but it wasn’t cruel this time. She smiled sadly and kissed Natsume on the cheek.

“I guess I’ll go find out then,” her voice an echo, her form faded on the edges. She looked up, searching for the sky, as she completely vanished in front of him. 

“Looks like you managed that all right,” Nyanko-sensei said as he came up behind Natsume. “Now, I think we better get you home, eh?”

“Y-yeah, let’s--” Natsume started as he tried to get to his feet. Instead the ground dropped away from him, swallowing him up.

“Natsume!” 

That voice was faint, faint, faint, and gone.

This time when Natsume’s eyes opened, the moon was shining down on him. He slowly pulled himself upright and breathed as a white yukata slipped off of his chest. The moonlight revealed a grassy clearing with several familiar faces of the youkai that lived near him. Hinoe was asleep sitting up beside Natsume, her chin propped up on her hand, with an assortment of herbs, bottles, bandages, and his bloody pink shirt spread out in front of her. He looked down at his arm, covered in a white bandage and splinted together.

“Looks like you’ll have to go to one of your human doctors,” Nyanko-sensei said, startling Natsume as he noticed that Nyanko-sensei, back in his cat-form, was sitting on his legs. “Hinoe and the rest did what they could.”

“Is Kasasagi gone?”

Nyanko-sensei scratched at his ear, “Yes, she left.”

“And…” Natsume took a shaky breath, “And the Book of Friends?”

Nyanko-sensei looked off to the right and Natsume followed his gaze. On the other side of him was the Book of Friends, or what was left of it. The cover had almost come completely undone and it was smeared with black and maybe a little bit of blood. Natsume could still read the name on it. Could still tell it read: Book of Friends.

“That was the last name,” Natsume started and stopped. 

“I know.”

He breathed in. He wasn’t ready for goodbye. Natsume had already said goodbye to Reiko, goodbye to Reiko’s last memory, goodbye to the last glimpse of her. It hurt, it already hurt so much, but she was loved. In every name of this book it told him she was loved. That someone like her could be loved like maybe… someone like him.

“You kept your promise to me, all this time,” Natsume said, unable to look at Nyanko-sensei. “But now it’s already over. The Book of Friends is done.”

The silence stretched between them as Natsume waited for Nyanko-sensei to say something, or feel the weight of his furry body vanish, like he had never been there in the first place. Instead, Nyanko-sensei yawned.

“If you’re ready we could head on home, before the Fujiwaras get any more worried sick,” Nyanko-sensei said as Natsume flinched and finally looked at him. “Though I’m not sure your appearance will appease them any.”

“Aren’t you… you’re coming with me?”

“Of course,” Nyanko-sensei humphed as he hopped off of Natsume’s legs, getting ready for the walk back.

“But…” Natsume started hesitating, not wanting to push his good luck, but… he couldn’t not know any longer. “You don’t have to stay with me anymore. The Book of Friends doesn’t have any more names left… You can do whatever you want now.”

Natsume held his broken arm to his chest as he waited for Nyanko-sensei to… to leave him. Nyanko-sensei heaved a big sigh and then crawled back onto Natsume’s lap, putting his paws up against Natsume’s good arm.

“Is _that_ what’s been bothering you this whole time?” Nyanko-sensei said, pushing his big face up towards Natsume’s so he couldn’t look away.

“I-I, well--”

“Natsume, I am _already_ doing what I want to right now.”

He stopped stuttering and tried to process this.

“I just thought… since we made that promise,” Natsume said, feeling his arm shake a bit as he tried to force his voice to keep going, “That once… once it was over, once the Book of Friends was gone, you’d have… you wouldn’t need to be here… with me... anymore.” He struggled to say it all, forced himself to say the words he had locked away for so long. Nyanko-sensei’s eyes softened and he shook his head slightly. That big funny-looking head that Natsume loved so much.

“What do you want to ask me?”

Ask. Natsume was not a boy who could ask for things. But he had. And he would do it one more time.

“Will you stay with me?”

Nyanko-sensei bumped up against Natsume’s face, the cat whiskers tickling his nose, “Of course.”

Natsume’s breath catched, the word ringing in his ears. A smile broke across his face as he swept Nyanko-sensei up into a hug, ignoring the pain spasming across his broken arm. He felt the tears slip down his face, wetting the soft fur in his embrace. For once Nyanko-sensei let Natsume hold him without trying to squirm away. 

An everlasting moment later, he let go. Nyanko-sensei hopped to the ground and shook his ball-like tail. “Let’s go home, I’m hungry!”

Natsume laughed, pulling himself to his feet. He gathered up the pieces of the Book of Friends and followed Nyanko-sensei out of the forest.

Madara was not a youkai that cared about things. It was a pointless thing to do. Why watch all these weaklings when one day you look and they’re already gone? Everything was so quick with them. Everything was just so fleeting. Madara knew better than to care.

But… then there was Natsume Takashi. 

It was that very moment, that first promise, and it was already too late for Madara. No matter how much he tried to say otherwise, no matter how much the Book of Friend’s pages thinned. It was still a reason, a shallow reason that he gave up on after a while. It was maybe all very obvious.

Natsume was just a human…

But Madara loved him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)) I wrote a little companion piece to this about Reiko and Kasasagi's time together as well for the Natsuyuu Bang if you wanted to read more about them: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984327


End file.
